§§§§§§§§
§§§§ §§§§
§§ §§
§ §
§ §
§ The Glass factory. §
§ §
§ §
§§ §§
§§§§ §§§§
§§§§§§§§
..:«*§$@£# Several Centuries After It Had Last #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ Stood Abandoned For A Long While. $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ Finally, The Natural End Station For @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# And A Gift Shop. #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# There'S A Long Time Since My Family #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Considered Poor. @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Practical. On The Eastern Building, @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ Some Are Shattered. $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Glass Of Varying Thickness. @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ §§ @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ §§ §§ £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# ««««««« § § ««««««« #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## §§ §§ ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# §§ #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ Other Building. The Contrast Is $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ Derelict For A Long Time, Windows £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# Electric Lights, But I Can See By The #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Windows Are Missing A Pane. @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ However, The Greatest Difference Is The @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ Higher Floors: This Building Has None. £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ There Is, In The Middle Of The Great @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# A Revolution, I Notice That For Each #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ Step The Building Starts To Glow, The £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ Lit From Behind. @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## There'S Someone Else On The Staircase ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ And More Disturbingly, Completely Made $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ Of Dark Liquid glass. @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# §§ #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## §§ §§ ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# ««««««« § § ««««««« #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ §§ §§ £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ §§ @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ My Fear Holds Me In Place While He @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ The Levers, Messing Them Up. £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Drop That Falls Toward The Factory @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ Floor. $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# While His Body Is Turning Into Dark #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ The Last Of Him Rains Down. $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ Become Still. $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ §§ £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# §§ §§ #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## ««««««« § § ««««««« ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# §§ §§ #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ §§ £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ Back At The Factory Floor, But The £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. @$§*«:....
.....:«*§$ $§*«:.....
....:«*§$@ Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over @$§*«:....
...:«*§$@£ The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark £@$§*«:...
..:«*§$@£# Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And #£@$§*«:..
.:«*§$@£## I See There'S Something Faint Inside ##£@$§*«:.
..:«*§$@£# Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? #£@$§*«:..
...:«*§$@£ £@$§*«:...
....:«*§$@ I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. @$§*«:....
§§
§§ §§
§ §
§§ §§
§§